Bel Cantanti Operapresents

The Music of Russian SoulA concert of Russian opera

A. Borodin

Prince Igor

Konchakovna’s Aria

Konchakovna:

Claire Webber

Aleksander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833 – 1887)

is best known for his symphonies, his string

quartets, a symphonic poem In the Steppes of

Central Asia, and the opera Prince Igor.

Borodin was also a doctor, a chemist, an educator

and a passionate advocate of women's rights.

He founded the School of Medicine for Women

in St. Petersburg.

Based on a medieval epic, the opera tells the story

of a proud prince captured by the enemy,

the fearsome Khan Kolchak, the mutual respect

that develops between captor and captive,

and the love between the Prince’s young son and

the Khan’s daughter.

Borodin worked on the opera for 18 years but died

before he could finish, and it was completed by

another great composer, N. Rimsky-Korsakov.

The Khan’s daughter eagerly awaits

a secret meeting with her lover.

N. Rimsky-Korsakov

The Golden Cockerel

Hymn To The Sun

Queen of Shemakha:

Robin Muse

Known as the “main architect” of a uniquely Russian

style of composition, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

(1844-1908) had a profound influence on two

generations of Russian classical composers.

He loved the sea, and combined teaching and

composition with a career in the Russian Navy.

Some of Rimsky-Korsakov best known works,

including the opera Sadko and the suite

Scheherazade, are based on fairy tales.

The Golden Cockerel (Coq d'Or), which tells of a

bumbling Tsar Dodon’s tragic attempt to conquer

the nearby kingdom and its beautiful queen,

is derived from Aleksander Pushkin's poem by the

same name, which in turn is based on

Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving.

As she stands over a field in which Dodon’s sons

and comrades lie dead in the pre-dawn light,

as if some mysterious power had forced them

to turn their weapons on each other, the queen

sings a sensuous hymn to the rising sun.

P. Tchaikovsky

Mazeppa

Final Duet

Maria:

Emma Gorin

Andrey:

Michael Celentano

Widely considered the most popular Russian

composer in history, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(1840-1893) composed several operas (including

Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades) and

ballets (including The Nutcracker and the Sleeping

Beauty), and many symphonic pieces, including

the 1812 Overture.

Mazeppa tells an episode in the life of a Ukrainian

military commander both reviled and glorified in

historical accounts.

Kochubey's daughter Maria elopes willingly with

the much older Mazeppa, but this turns the two

former associates into enemies. Kochubey warns

Russian tsar Peter I that Mazeppa plans to betray

him and fight for Ukraine's independence

from Russia.

Mazeppa tortures and kills Kochubey, and Maria

goes insane after witnessing her father's execution.

After his rebellion in crushed by Peter's forces at

Poltava, Mazeppa abandons Maria and flees.

Maria is left in the battlefield, cradling the body of a

childhood friend she no longer recognizes.

A. Borodin

Prince Igor

Kavatina of Igorevich

Vladimir:

Michael Celentano

We return to the tale of the 11th century Russian

prince, who, together with his son and other

associates, is captured by the fearsome

Polovitsian Khan.

While the rest of the camp is fast asleep, the

prince’s son Vladimir eagerly awaits a secret

meeting with his beloved, the Khan’s daughter.

S. Rachmaninoff

Lilacs

Christina

Consulman

Sergey Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) was hailed

one of the last great representatives

of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Best

known for his 2nd Piano Concerto, Rachmaninoff

also wrote many art songs and several operas,

including Aleko and Francesca da Rimini.

In addition to composing, Rachmaninoff was a

virtuoso piano player and an accomplished

conductor.

White lilacs were Rachmaninoff’s favorite flower.

For many years, and unknown admirer sent a

bouquet of them to his dressing room after each

performance.

In the fragrant shade, where the lilac crowds,

I will go to seek my happiness...

S. Prokofiev

Alexander Nevsky

Field of the Dead

Girl:

Ashlyn Mazone

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (1891 – 1953)

composed masterpieces across numerous

musical genres, including an opera, Love for

Three Oranges, and a narrated composition for

children, Peter and the Wolf.

Having left Russia in 1918 to enjoy a successful

career in Europe, Prokofiev returned in 1936, but

his relationship with the Soviet musical

establishment remained complicated.

Alexander Nevsky started as a film score for

director S. Eisenstein's 1938 materpiece, but was

later reworked to stand on its own as a cantata.

It follows the military career of the celebrated 13th

century military commander, culminating in his

victory over Teutonic knights in the legendary

Battle on the Ice.

The great battle over, an unknown girl wanders

the battlefield, crying over the dead soldiers and

declaring her desire to marry a brave survivor.

A. Borodin

Prince Igor

Igor’s Aria

Igor:

Doung Keon Kim

The Khan professes friendship and talks of an

alliance, but Igor’s loyalties lie with his homeland.

Unable to sleep, the Prince keeps reliving the

deaths of his comrades and the pain of his defeat

and captivity. Powerless, he yearns for freedom,

a chance to wash away his shame and liberate

Russia from its enemies. He longs to see his wife

again and beg for her forgiveness.

N. Rimsky-Korsakov

The Snow Maiden

Lel’s Aria

Lel:

Jenna Babyak

Set in prehistoric times when the ancient

Slavic people worshipped the Sun, The Snow

Maiden tells the story of an illegitimate

daughter of Spring and Frost who comes to

live with a human family.

In a few short weeks, she will discover

heartbreak and passionate love, and finally

melt, ushering in a new era of peace between

the people and their Sun God.

Lel, the playful shepherd boy, will melt any

girl’s heart with his song.

N. Rimsky-Korsakov

The Snow Maiden

Melting Aria

Snowmaiden:

Emily Casey

Having experienced love for the first time,

the Snowmaiden thanks her mother, Spring,

for this wonderful gift. But as the first ray

of Sun pierces the sky, she feels the fire grow

inside her. Ecstatic, the Snowmaiden bids

goodbye to her beloved and melts.

S. Rachmaninoff

Francesca da Rimini

Francesca’s Aria

Francesca

Molly Allen

Francesca agrees to a political union that will

cement ties between her father and the

powerful Malatesta family. She thinks that

she is about to marry the handsome Paolo,

but she is wed to Paolo’s crippled brother

Giovanni instead.

Eventually Francesca and Paolo can no

longer resist their mutual attraction. They are

discovered and killed by Giovanni, and are

damned to Hell for eternity.

Francesca tries to comfort the distraught Paolo.

It is true, she says, that we will never know

kisses in this world, but we will have our reward

in Heaven.

A. Rubinstein

Demon

Demon’s Arioso

Demon:

Andrew Potter

As an educator, Anton Rubinstein (1829-1893)

is best known as the founder of the St Petersburg

conservatory and Tchaikovsky’s composition

teacher. As a pianist, he is famous for seven

concerts covering the history of piano music.

As a composer, he authored five piano concertos,

six symphonies and twenty operas, most famous

of which was The Demon.

The supernatural being’s pursuit of a mortal

woman leads to her bridegroom’s death.

To escape the demon, Tamara joins the convent,

but he finds her even there.

An angel is unable to prevent their meeting,

but when Tamara dies trying to get away,

he carries her off to heaven,

and the demon is damned for eternity.

At first, the demon is afraid to enter the convent.

But the sight of Tamara at the window awakens

his longing. For her sake, he will transform, shed

his immortality and his powers and, filled with

goodness, enter and claim his prize.

A. Rubinstein

Demon

Tamara’s romance

Tamara:

Kate Evans

In her cell, Tamara is troubled by visions

of the Demon. “Who is he?”, she wonders.

‘I keep hearing his voice, whispering,

“Wait for me,” but I have been waiting so long!’

P. Tchaikovsky

Iolanta

Iolanta’s Arioso

Iolanta:

Elise Jablow

Princess Iolanta is blind from birth, but her

affliction is kept secret from her on strict orders

from her father.

The princess is a happy child, but as she grows

older, she starts to wonder if she is missing

something. A chance encounter with a young

knight deepens her sadness and frustration.

“Why am I feeling this way?,” Iolanta wonders.

“Why can’t I just be happy any more?”

M. Mussorgsky

Boris Godunov

Duet of Marina

and the Impostor

Marina:

Claire Webber

Impostor:

Michael Celentano

In his operas and symphonic works based on

Russian history and folklore, Modest Petrovich

Mussorgsky (1839 – 1881) wanted to forge a

uniquely Russian musical identity, often in

deliberate defiance of Western musical

conventions.

Although he enjoyed a lot of popularity in his

youth, in later life frequent struggles with

depression and alcoholism made keeping friends

and creating new music difficult.

Based on a drama by A. Pushkin, Boris Godunov

tells of a turbulent time in Russian history.

While the new ruler is still tortured by guilt over the

murder that paved his way to power, an impostor

claiming to be the murdered prince seizes the

throne with the help of an opportunistic Polish

princess.

The impostor is smitten with Marina,

but she scoffs at his servile pleading.

Only when he demonstrates a dominant

personality and a lust for power to rival her own

does the proud princess give in

to the impostor's advances.